Art of manufacturing unlined boots and shoes



April 1935- R. R. GUEHNE 1,998,455

ART OF MANUFACTURING UNLINED BOOTS AND SHOES Filed June 16, 1955' I M/E/VTU/Q."

Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED", STATES ART OF MANUFACTURING UNLINED BOOTS AND SHOES Rudolph R. Guehne, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 16, 1933, No. 376,095

'0laims. (01. 12-146) 1 This invention relates to improvements in methods of making shoes and more particularly to a method of making shoes which have no linings.

There has recently come into vogue a type of ladies shoe which is unlined and is provided with an ornamental design made up of a multiplicity of small perforations which extend through the material of the upper. It is desirable that certain portions of the uppers of such shoes, for example the toe portions, should be stiffened. Inasmuch as the shoe is unlined, it is desirable that the toe stiilener should be as nearly flush as possible with the inner surface of the upper and should be very firmly bonded to the upper at all points of contact,

Otherwise the shoe may be uncomfortable to the wearer whose foot is in contact with the stiffener; and the stiffener, particularly at its rear edge, may be loosened from the upper during the wear of the shoe. Moreover, the material of the stiffener, its thickness and the firmness of its bond to the upper should be such that there will be no danger of breaking the small punches of the perforating machine by which the ornamental perforations are made, and that those perforations which pass through the upper and the stiffener shouldhave clean, sharply outlined walls.

According to the present invention, a stiffener blank is treated with a medium to render the stiffening substance thereof soft; the blank is positioned on the inner face of the upper of a. shoe and compressed and amalgamated with the upper, the stiflening substance is permitted to become hard, at which time the ornamental perforations may be formed through the upper and the stiilener, and thereafter the manufacture of the shoe is completed.

Referring to the accompanyin drawing,

Fig. 1 shows the step of placing a softened toe stiffener blank upon the inner face of the toe portion of the upper of a shoe and subjectingthe blank and upper to pressure; and 1 Fig. 2 shows a finished shoe. It may be noted with respect to this figure that the size of the holes has been exaggerated over the size commonly employed in order to simplify the work of the draftsman.

, suitable portion of the upper of a shoe, is'first cut 'out of shoe material, for example leather. it too stiflener blank 5 is then softened by subjecting it to the action of asuitablemedium. The illusblank comprises 7 a fabric base impregnated with a cellulosic material. Preferably,- this-blank is one madeof a fabric is... impregnated with a ing-a large amount'oi' stiifening substance is employed, it may be desirable to treat theexposed stiffeningsubstance which isin a more or less porous form, such for example as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,256,240, granted February 12, 1918, upon an application filed in the name of Stanley P. Lovell, since such ,5 a blank when softened by a suitable solvent may be very readily and very considerably compressed. The illustrated toe stiffener is treated by immersing it in a liquid solvent, such for example as a mixture of alcohol and acetone, and the soft 10 and sticky blank is then placed upon the inner face'of the toe portion of the upper 3 which rests upon a flat table. After the soft blank has been properly positioned, as shown, the blank and the upper are subjected to a pressing and ironing operation by means of a flatiron, the forward end of which is indicated at l, or other suitable tool, whereby the two articles are pressed firmly together, this ironing and pressing operation by reason of the presence of the soft celluloid, s 2 to compress the blank and amalgamate it with the upper, so that, when the celluloid has been permitted to harden, a firm bond between the points of the two contacting surfaces of the blank and the upper will result. This ironing and pressing 26' operation also compresses the blank very consid-' erably so that'its edges, particularly the skived' rear edge 8, are almost flush with the surface of, the upper and the combined thickness of the blank and the upper is only very slightly greater 30' than the thickness of the upper alone. The blank thus becomes practically an integral part of the upper and will not be loosened either by the subsequent shoe manufacturing operations or by con tact of the toes of the wearer with the blank when the finished shoe is later worn. After the stifif ening substance has been permitted to become hard and resilient, the ornamental perforations may be made by means of a suitable perforating machine, a large number of these perforations 40 passing through the blank. Owing to the condition of the stiffening substance and its thinness, very small punches may be employed without danger of breakage, and'the walls of these perforations will be clean and sharply outlined.

The manufacture of the shoe may now be completed in any usual manner, including pullingover and lasting the upper, while maintaining the blank in its hard, resilient state, since as has been explained above, the blank is so firmly bonded to and amalgamated with the upper that no parting of the two will take place. In case, however, that a comparatively thick blank containside of the blank with a small amount of solvent, for example by means of a hand brush, to soften the blank'a little prior to the pulling-over operation.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making uhlined shoes which consists in treating a stiffener blank with a medium to render the stiflening. substance of the stiffener soft, positioning the blank upon the inside of the upper, reducing the thickneuoftheblankandforcingstiileningsubstance into the upper. permitting the stiffening substance to harden, and completing the manufacture of the shoe while maintaining the stiffening substance in its hard resilient condition.

2.That improvementinmethods ofmaking ing substance in its hard resilient condition.

4. That improvement in the methods of making shoes which consists in treating a box toe blank comprising a porous base impregnated with a porous stiffening substance insoluble in water with a solvent for said substance, placing the blank upon the inside of the toe portion of an upper, rubbing and pressing upon the soft and sticky blank to reduce the thickness of the blank and to force stiffening substance into the upper, permitting the solvent to evaporate until the blank is hard and resilient, punching holes through the upper and the blank, and completing the manufacture of the shoe. I

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which comprisestreating a blank containing a precipitated cellulosic material with a solvent for the material whereby said material becomes plastic, placing the blank upon the inner face of thetoe portion of a leather upper, reducing the thickness of the blank and forcing cellulosic material into the leather so as to amalgamste the blank with the upper, permitting the solvent to evaporate, punching holes through the upper and the blank, and thereafter lasting the shoe and completing its manufacture.

RUDOLPH R. GUEHNI. 

